British shipyard Princess Yachts, has announced it is appointing a new executive chairman. Philippe Mellier, who will remain on the board, will be succeeded by Anthony Sheriff, the former managing director of McLaren Automotive.

Sheriff commented, “I am thrilled to be stepping in to such a respected luxury brand that is clearly seen as a world leader in the industry.

“Over 50 years, Princess has built a well-deserved reputation for building the finest boats in its class and I am looking forward to working with Chris and the rest of the brilliant team at Princess, to continue to build the best and most innovative products while delivering the best customer experience in the industry.

“I hope to help grow Princess into a truly iconic British brand, with far reaching recognition and respect.”

Chris Gates, the managing director at Princess Yachts, added, “It was an absolute pleasure to have worked with Philippe Mellier over the past year, as he was really passionate about the brand and product and I thank him for all of his efforts.

“I’m delighted to welcome Antony here at Princess as our new Executive Chairman. I can clearly see his experience and energy adding tremendous value to our business and I am looking forward to working alongside him to further develop Princess over the coming years.”